There are a few obvious things not to do at other people’s weddings. For example, flirting with the happy couple is a huge ‘NO!’ Falling into the twelve-tiered cake that costs more than a small car is another thing you might want to avoid doing. But probably the most obvious thing you don’t want to do is wear a white dress as a guest.

It’s common sense. However, sometimes, common sense flies out the window and is nowhere to be found. Redditor u/white-dress-3304 shared how he asked his wife to change out of her white dress for his uncle’s wedding, and how that led to a huge argument. Scroll down for the full story.

Bored Panda reached out to Anna and Sarah from The Wedding Society to hear their thoughts on wearing white to someone’s wedding. Read on to hear what they have to say!

Most people know that the only person supposed to be wearing a white dress at the wedding is the bride

Image credits: stetphotos (not the actual photo)

A man shared how he and his wife got into a massive argument because she wanted to go to his uncle’s wedding all dressed in white

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

Image credits: u/white-dress-3304

The man helped avoid a major drama from flaring up at the wedding venue

The husband’s story went viral on the AITA subreddit, getting over 15.8k upvotes. Most readers thought that the guy did nothing wrong by asking his wife to sit his uncle’s wedding out instead of showing up in a white dress that was sewn in a similar style as a wedding dress. In fact, many redditors felt like the guy helped prevent a major drama from breaking out at the celebration of love.

That was the upside. The downside, however, was how the OP’s wife reacted to his suggestion that maybe, just maybe, wearing white isn’t the way to go. She accused him of policing his looks, choosing his uncle over her, and disregarding her feelings entirely. However, when asked how she would have felt about one of the guests showing up to her own wedding pulling the same stunt, she didn’t answer.

Image credits:  stetphotos (not the actual photo)

There might be some lingering tension between some of the family members

The issue, it seems, is that the redditor’s wife had a huge problem with his uncle’s partner. Though it’s still unclear what exactly the issue was.

“My wife’s relationship with my uncle was okay until my uncle’s wife came along. The issues between my wife and my uncle’s wife certainly impacted my uncle. Frankly, I see no reason why my wife would dislike my uncle’s wife,” the OP wrote in one of the comments.

“Some resentment has been there for a while. I can’t speak for my wife and say what the problem is but I can not help but think choosing a white dress was calculated,” he added in another comment, suggesting that the entire dress affair was premeditated, not something that happened by accident.

Image credits: Omelnickiy (not the actual photo)

Small mistakes will only ruin your wedding if you let it

We were curious to learn more about the etiquette when it comes to wearing white to other people’s weddings, as well as how marrying couples ought to react if they see their guests stroll in dressed like that. Anna and Sarah, from The Wedding Society, kindly shared their thoughts on this.

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“Wearing white to a wedding is not so much about the actual colour, given so much wedding attire these days doesn’t even factor in a white dress. It’s more about etiquette and expressing respect for the marrying couple,” they explained to Bored Panda.

“Many couples may not even care about a guest wearing white but that’s not the point. The point is not to even put them in the position to have to say ‘no’ if that’s what they want. If you know it’s a grey area, just choose any of the other hundreds of colors available to wear,” they noted.

Meanwhile, we wanted to know if there’s a ‘right’ way for marrying couples to react to their guests showing up in white dresses. “Honestly, it’s a case of ‘Let It Go,’ Anna, from the Wedding Society, said.

“There are so many other things to focus on then ruining your own day by ruminating over a person who has, at best, not understood the brief and, at worst, is trying to steal attention from the couple. No matter the reason—is it worth your time, energy and anger? Probably not. The best revenge is just not caring.”

No wedding will ever be ‘perfect’ because something will inevitably go wrong. There might be a problem with the flower arrangements, the vendors, or a relative who’s a tad overenthusiastic with their visits to the bar. However, you should strive to take all of this in stride.

The only way that any of these minor inconveniences could ‘ruin’ your wedding is only if you let it get to you. At the end of the day, you’re there to pledge your undying love to your soulmate, dance into the wee hours of the morning, and eat way too much cake.

Similarly, if one of your guests shows up in a white dress, it all really depends on how you want to deal with the situation. Maybe you could ask one of your bridesmaids to talk to them and ask them to change. Or you could laugh about the absurdity of it all and ignore what happened. It’s your big day—enjoy it and leave the worrying and outrage for everyone else.

The author of the post shared some more info in the comments

Here’s what some readers had to say about the entire argument over the dress

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